Accused NY Golf Club Bandit Involved In CT Thefts: Police

CONNECTICUT — A Bronx, N.Y. resident who was recently charged with breaking into several golf pro shops and stealing golf equipment is now accused of doing so in more New York communities and in Connecticut, police said.

Matthew S. Berman, 41, was charged earlier this month for thefts in Orangetown, New York.

On Friday, the Westchester County Police Department announced on Facebook that Berman is now accused of more than a dozen similar burglaries in New York and Connecticut.

The Connecticut cases were in Norwalk and Stamford, according to police.

The department’s Real Time Crime unit said the case is bigger than a “pilfered putter here and a purloined wedge there.”

Investigators in mid-February discovered a pattern involving overnight pro-shop burglaries at golf courses in Westchester and Rockland counties in New York and in Connecticut, and thefts from a sporting goods store in Yonkers, police said.

“Tens of thousands of dollars of high-end golf clubs and other pricey equipment had been stolen,” police said, in the announcement.

A task force was created to investigate, with contributions from multiple law enforcement agencies, including municipal departments, state police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to police, when Berman was first arrested, he was attempting to sell a Theragun massage device that had been stolen from Mount Kisco Country Club, one of two golf-related burglaries in New Castle, New York.

Investigators searched Berman’s home at East 238th St., Bronx. Task Force members recovered “numerous” stolen golf items from his home and vehicle along with stolen license plates and an imitation Beretta handgun, according to police. Investigators from other jurisdictions interviewed Berman, resulting in additional charges.

For New York, Berman has been charged with two burglaries in New Castle, four burglaries in Orangetown, and five grand larcenies in Yonkers, police said.

For Connecticut, he is accused of one burglary in Norwalk and one in Stamford.

Police said Berman was conducting surveillance of other golf courses and golf retail stores in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. An investigation is ongoing into whether there were any more thefts, police said.